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'''Seattle Sounders FC''' is a professional [[football (soccer)|soccer]] club based in [[Seattle]], [[Washington]] that will begin play in [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS) in 2009. The team will play its home games at [[Qwest Field]]. The MLS club is the third Seattle team to share the heritage of the [[Seattle Sounders|Sounders]] name. They are considered the "Mickey Mouse" of football teams because of their comedian owner and marching band that replaces actual supporters.
'''Seattle Sounders FC''' is a professional [[football (soccer)|soccer]] club based in [[Seattle]], [[Washington]] that will begin play in [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS) in 2009. The team will play its home games at [[Qwest Field]]. The MLS club is the third Seattle team to share the heritage of the [[Seattle Sounders|Sounders]] name.


== History ==
== History ==
Line 67: Line 67:


== Supporters ==
== Supporters ==
No matter what they call themselves, the "supporter" group is the weakest in the league. They have a marhing band to try and rouse up some kind of pride in their team. The Seattle FC Alliance was established at the request of minority owner [[Drew Carey]]. Based on the fan association at [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]], members of the Association will have the ability to vote in the election of the General Manager and on other team decisions. Season ticket holders become automatic members while non-season ticket holders may buy into the Association for a fee. Membership grants the members voting privileges, invitation to an annual meeting and other team perks. Members can be nominated and selected to the Sounders FC Association Council on a yearly basis. Those interested must receive at least 25&nbsp;nominations from other association members, with the first nominations accepted in June 2008. The first election on General Manager is scheduled to be held November 2012 following that season. <ref>{{cite news | first=José Miguel Romero | last= | coauthors= | title=Sounders FC announce fan association | date=2008-05-17 | publisher= | url =http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sounders/2004420604_sounders17.html | work =[[Seattle PI]] | pages = | accessdate = 2008-05-18 | language = }}</ref>
The Seattle FC Alliance was established at the request of minority owner [[Drew Carey]]. Based on the fan association at [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]], members of the Association will have the ability to vote in the election of the General Manager and on other team decisions. Season ticket holders become automatic members while non-season ticket holders may buy into the Association for a fee. Membership grants the members voting privileges, invitation to an annual meeting and other team perks. Members can be nominated and selected to the Sounders FC Association Council on a yearly basis. Those interested must receive at least 25&nbsp;nominations from other association members, with the first nominations accepted in June 2008. The first election on General Manager is scheduled to be held November 2012 following that season. <ref>{{cite news | first=José Miguel Romero | last= | coauthors= | title=Sounders FC announce fan association | date=2008-05-17 | publisher= | url =http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sounders/2004420604_sounders17.html | work =[[Seattle PI]] | pages = | accessdate = 2008-05-18 | language = }}</ref>


Another of Carey's requests prior to his involvement with the team was that the team would have a [[marching band]], making it the only professional soccer franchise in America with a marching band.<ref name=ownership />
Another of Carey's requests prior to his involvement with the team was that the team would have a [[marching band]], making it the only professional soccer franchise in America with a marching band.<ref name=ownership />

Revision as of 02:43, 1 March 2009

For other teams using this name, see Seattle Sounders (NASL) and Seattle Sounders (USL).
Seattle Sounders FC
File:Seattle Sounders FC.PNG
Full nameSeattle Sounders FC
Nickname(s)The Sounders
Founded2007
GroundQwest Field
Seattle, WA
Capacity24,500 (expandable to 67,000)
Owner(s)United States Joe Roth
United States Adrian Hanauer
United States Paul Allen
United States Drew Carey
Head coachUnited States Sigi Schmid
LeagueMajor League Soccer
Current season

Seattle Sounders FC is a professional soccer club based in Seattle, Washington that will begin play in Major League Soccer (MLS) in 2009. The team will play its home games at Qwest Field. The MLS club is the third Seattle team to share the heritage of the Sounders name.

History

Seattle Sounders FC will begin play in the 2009 season and will be the league's 15th team. The city of Seattle was awarded an expansion team on November 13, 2007. The announcement provided a continuation to a long standing soccer tradition in Seattle that has included the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League from 1974 to 1983 and the Seattle Sounders of the USL First Division[1] since 1994.

Team ownership revealed the first Sounders jersey on May 28 along with announcing Microsoft and Xbox 360 as the team's sponsor worth $20 million over 5 years.[2] As part of the agreement, the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live brands will be featured prominently on the front of the jersey.[3]

In its first ever exhibition game vs. the Los Angeles Galaxy on February 9th, 2009, the Sounders beat the Galaxy 3-1. Fredy Montero, Roger Levesque and Sanna Nyassi all scored goals in the win.[4]

Team name, badge and colors

Seattle Sounders FC was announced as the team name on April 7, 2008, along with the team logo, colors and badge design in a presentation held at the Space Needle. The badge design, loosely resembling a heraldic shield, consists of two layers representing the partnership between the ownership, the community, the players, and the fans. The logo incorporates the Space Needle, a universally recognized Seattle landmark. The official team colors are Sounder Blue, representing the waters of the Puget Sound; Rave Green, representing the forests of the Pacific Northwest; and Cascade Shale, representing the Cascade Range to the east of Seattle.[5]

Fans were able to choose a new name for the team in an online poll held between March 27, 2008 and March 31. When the possible names to be selected from where initially announced, only three names were to be included on the poll: Seattle FC, Seattle Republic and Seattle Alliance, with the Seattle Sounders name being left off to provide a "fresh start."[6] Despite the names having been selected by fan focus groups, internal committees, and fan suggestions, the lack of an option to continue the Seattle Sounders moniker was an unpopular decision.[7] In response to the reaction by the fans, the team added a fourth "write in" option for the team name, leaving the door open to any suggestion.[8] During the voting period, MLS Commissioner Don Garber acknowledged the Sounders name is a popular fan favorite which initiated the addition of the write-in vote.[9]

Of the 14,500 votes received for the new team name, 49% of the votes were a derivative of the name Sounders.[10] Upon announcing the name, Hanauer acknowledged the significance of keeping with tradition: “The team playing at the highest level in our region has always been called Sounders. Starting with the NASL and then the USL 1st Division, we now have the chance to create a separate and distinct identity with the new MLS team.”[11]

Stadium

Seattle Sounders FC will play their home games at Qwest Field in Seattle, also home to the Seattle Seahawks.[12] The stadium is a 67,000 seat stadium designed for both American football and soccer. For Sounders FC games, the upper bowl of the stadium will be tarped off leaving a seating capacity of 24,500 to provide a more intimate feel.[13] The pitch will be entitled "The Xbox Pitch at Qwest Field" as part of the sponsorship deal with Microsoft.

Seattle Sounders FC have created a web site that will be used to identify seating arrangements for season ticket holders based on personal interests including preferred method for watching a game and foreign team preference.[14] The team is currently in negotiations to use the Starfire Sports Complex, in nearby Tukwila, as a training facility.

While Sounders FC will play on FieldTurf for the 2009 season,[15] Qwest Field has previously had a temporary natural grass surface installed for international soccer events.[16] If a MLS rule change requires natural grass playing surfaces, the field will be permanently replaced with natural grass.[17]

Supporters

The Seattle FC Alliance was established at the request of minority owner Drew Carey. Based on the fan association at Barcelona, members of the Association will have the ability to vote in the election of the General Manager and on other team decisions. Season ticket holders become automatic members while non-season ticket holders may buy into the Association for a fee. Membership grants the members voting privileges, invitation to an annual meeting and other team perks. Members can be nominated and selected to the Sounders FC Association Council on a yearly basis. Those interested must receive at least 25 nominations from other association members, with the first nominations accepted in June 2008. The first election on General Manager is scheduled to be held November 2012 following that season. [18]

Another of Carey's requests prior to his involvement with the team was that the team would have a marching band, making it the only professional soccer franchise in America with a marching band.[19]

Independent supporter groups

In 2009 the Emerald City Supporters, who formed in 2005 to support the USL Sounders, will move to general admission sections in 121-123 directly behind the south goal to support the new MLS team.[20]

Gorilla FC is an independent group of Seattle Soccer fans that support the Sounders.[citation needed]

Sound Wave

The Sound Wave is a 52-member marching band consisting of brass and marching percussion. Although the band was initially formed in the Spring of 2008 it did not have a name until December 5, 2008 when the Members Alliance voted to name the band the Sound Wave. The band plays music from multiple genres such as classic rock, Latin, R&B, funk and more, and will sit with the Emerald City Supporters in Section 122 when the Sounders play at home at Qwest Field. The March to the Match, in which fans and ticket holders will march from Occidental Park to Qwest before each home game, will be led by the Sound Wave.

Players

Seattle Sounders FC officially announced the 2007 USL First Division MVP and current USL Sounder Sébastien Le Toux as its first signing on May 7, 2008.[21] On August 14, 2008, Sounders FC announced in a press conference their second signing for the 2009 season, former United States men's national team goalkeeper Kasey Keller. Keller is set to return home to his native Washington to play for the new side. [22] On September 5, 2008, Sounders FC announced the third signee for the franchise to be Sanna Nyassi from Gambia. Nyassi, a 19-year-old midfielder, was a member of the Gambia U-20 National Team at the 2007 FIFA Championship. Like Le Toux, Nyassi is now being loaned to the Sounders of the USL First Division for the remainder of this season. Sanna’s twin brother, Sainey Nyassi, was signed by the Revolution and is a regular starter in MLS this season.[23]

On October 28, 2008, it was officially announced that Sounders FC had signed Swedish midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg using the Designated Player Rule. He signed a two-year contract reported to be worth $2.5 million per season.[24] Ljungberg may miss the team's first game after having hip surgery in December 2008.[25]

2008 Expansion draft

Seattle Sounders FC was given first negotiation rights to any player that was not drafted in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft and joins the USL Sounders for the 2008 season. The team can also promote as many players from the 2008 USL Sounders squad as they'd like, as long as the player's rights are not controlled by another team.[26] Hanauer expects several of the team's other key players, including Taylor Graham, to transfer to play for Sounders FC based on MLS Competition Committee rules.[27] Sounders FC can begin to sign players in the 2008 calendar year in accordance with MLS rules, which also allows Sounders FC to have first pick in the 2009 MLS Draft in January 2009.[28] The team is also expecting to use an Expansion Draft to select up to ten current MLS players from a pool left unprotected by the other teams.[29]

On November 26, 2008, Sounders FC selected the following players from other MLS teams: Nate Jaqua (Houston), Brad Evans (Columbus), Stephen King (Chicago), Jeff Parke (RBNY), James Riley (San Jose), Khano Smith (New England), Jarrod Smith (Toronto FC), Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake), Peter Vagenas (LA Galaxy) and Tyson Wahl (Kansas City).[30].

2009 MLS SuperDraft

In the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, as the 2009 expansion team, Sounders FC was given the first pick in each round of the draft. With the number one pick of the first round of the draft, Sounders FC selected University of Akron forward Steve Zakuani. As the first pick of the second round (16th overall), Sounders FC selected Wake Forest University defender Evan Brown.[31]

Other player developments

Prior to the signing of Ljungberg, current Barcelona player Thierry Henry was rumored as a possible designated player for the team.[32] It appears this rumor may have been based on the planned first signing of another French player, namely Le Toux.

Majority owner Joe Roth has expressed interest in the impact Asian players could have on the new team, "...I hope that we'll be able to bring in the same caliber of player as Ichiro Suzuki with the Seattle Mariners."[33]

Current roster

As of February 25, 2009.[34] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK United States USA Chris Eylander
3 MF United States USA Brad Evans
4 DF United States USA Patrick Ianni
5 DF United States USA Tyson Wahl
6 MF Cuba CUB Osvaldo Alonso
7 DF United States USA James Riley
8 MF United States USA Peter Vagenas
9 FW France FRA Sébastien Le Toux
10 MF Sweden SWE Freddie Ljungberg
11 MF United States USA Stephen King
12 DF United States USA Nathan Sturgis
No. Pos. Nation Player
13 FW New Zealand NZL Jarrod Smith
14 DF Jamaica JAM Tyrone Marshall
16 DF United States USA Evan Brown
17 FW Colombia COL Fredy Montero
18 GK United States USA Kasey Keller (Captain)
19 FW Democratic Republic of the Congo COD Steve Zakuani
21 FW United States USA Nate Jaqua
23 MF The Gambia GAM Sanna Nyassi
26 DF Puerto Rico PUR Taylor Graham
DF Colombia COL Jhon Kennedy Hurtado

Players in camp

As of February 25, 2009. [35] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
20 DF United States USA Zach Scott
24 FW United States USA Roger Levesque
29 DF United States USA Jared Karkas
31 MF United States USA Michael Fucito
No. Pos. Nation Player
32 FW United States USA Jeff Clark
33 MF United States USA Ryan Caugherty
34 GK United States USA Evan Bush

Ownership and team management

The team ownership is split among several investors. The majority owner is Hollywood producer Joe Roth, with minority owners Adrian Hanauer, former owner of the now defunct USL-1 team Seattle Sounders; Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder and owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers; and Drew Carey, comedian and game show host.[19] The Seattle franchise is believed to have paid a $30 million expansion fee, $10 million more than the last expansion fee paid by the San Jose Earthquakes team.[36] Over 20,000 season tickets have been purchased since becoming available,[37] giving Sounders FC the most season ticket holders in MLS. [38]

Coaching staff

Seattle Sounders FC reportedly offered a coaching contract to Sigi Schmid in early December, who led the Los Angeles Galaxy to a MLS Cup in 2002 and the Columbus Crew to a MLS Cup in 2008, but before Schmid could respond to the contract offer, the ownership of the Columbus Crew filed a tampering complaint with the MLS that put the offer on hold. The Crew's ownership believed that Schmid had contact with Sounders FC despite being denied permission to talk to other teams during the season and that he shared confidential information with Sounders FC after his contract with the Crew ended.[39] The MLS ruled that no tampering occurred, but ordered Sounders FC to financially compensate the Crew before signing Schmid.[40] Sounders FC officially introduced Schmid as their first coach on December 16, 2008.[41] Brian Schmetzer was later announced as the top assitant coach and Tom Dutra as the goalkeeper coach.[42][43] Retired Major League Soccer veteran defender Ezra Hendrickson joined the Sounders as an assistant coach in January, 2009[44].

Team management

Former MLS player and Everett, Washington, native Chris Henderson was named technical director on January 24, 2008.[45] Joining Henderson in the front office is longtime Seattle Seahawks VP Gary Wright as the senior vice president of business operations.[46] Drew Carey was named the chairman of the Membership Association.[47]

Broadcasting

Seattle Sounders FC matches will be televised locally by either KING or KONG (exceptions being nationally telecast matches on Fox Soccer Channel or ESPN2/ABC). Former Seattle SuperSonics play-by-play announcer Kevin Calabro has been chosen to announce the televised matches.[48] Sounders matches on radio will be aired on KIRO-FM.

References

  1. ^ Moroney, Laurence (2007-11-13). "MLS announces expansion in Seattle". MLS.net. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
  2. ^ Futterman, Matthew (2008-05-28). "Soccer's Sounders Get a Microsoft Kick". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
  3. ^ "Sounders FC Announce Sponsorship with Microsoft and Xbox 360". Seattle Sounders FC. 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
  4. ^ Romero, Jose Miguel (2009-02-09). "Sounders FC beats Galaxy in exhibition". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
  5. ^ "Seattle Sounders FC colors". Seattle Sounders FC. 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  6. ^ José Miguel Romero (2008-03-21). "NW Briefs: List narrows for Seattle Major League Soccer team names". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-03-21.
  7. ^ McNerthney, Casey (2008-03-21). "Soccer team names? No gooaaaallll, cry fans". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-03-21. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Matthew Gaschk (2008-03-25). "Sounders name isn't dead yet". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
  9. ^ "LA Galaxy vs Colorado Rapids post-game report". 2008-03-29. {{cite episode}}: Missing or empty |series= (help)
  10. ^ "Seattle Sounders FC Selected as Team Name". Seattle Sounders FC. 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  11. ^ "Seattle Sounders FC Wins Out in Name Contest". Goal.com. 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
  12. ^ "MLS awards Seattle expanison team for 2009" (Press release). Major League Soccer. 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
  13. ^ "MLS awards Seattle expansion team for 2009". MLSNet.com. 2007-11-17. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
  14. ^ Gaschk, Matthew (May 1, 2008). "Sounders FC expected to sign star". Seattle PI. Retrieved 2008-05-06. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ Dell'Apa, Frank (March 4, 2008). "Opportunity is there for someone to strike". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-10-05.
  16. ^ "Qwest Field goes Au Naturel". Seattle Seahawks. March 19, 2003. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  17. ^ "PSA Frequently Asked Questions". Washington State Public Stadium Authority. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
  18. ^ "Sounders FC announce fan association". Seattle PI. 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-05-18. {{cite news}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  19. ^ a b "Carey signs on to invest in Seattle expansion team". ESPNSoccernet. ESPN. 2007-11-12. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
  20. ^ "Emerald City Supporters website". Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  21. ^ Gaschk, Matthew (May 7, 2008). "Present and future Sounders". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-05-08.
  22. ^ Gaschk, Matthew (2008-08-13). "Keller to join Sounders FC, adding to club's local flavor". Seattle Post Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
  23. ^ "Gambia Youth International Becomes 3rd Signee". Seattle Sounders FC. 2008-09-05. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  24. ^ "Sounders sign Freddie Ljungberg". mlsnet.com. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  25. ^ Washburn, Gary (2008-12-29). "Hip surgery halts Ljungberg's training". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  26. ^ Romero, José Miguel (2008-01-19). "Sounders scouting players with MLS potential". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
  27. ^ "MLS Seattle". Prost Amerika. Retrieved 2007-12-24.
  28. ^ "MLS in Seattle". MLS in Seattle. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  29. ^ Ruiz, Don (2008-05-05). "Major roadwork ahead for Sounders FC". The News Tribune. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  30. ^ Goff, Steven (2008-11-26). "Seattle Selects..." The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  31. ^ "Live From St. Louis". Seattle Sounders FC. 2009-01-15. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  32. ^ Marcus, Jeffrey (2008-04-03). "Seattle Already in the Rumor Mix". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  33. ^ Moroney, Laurence (2007-11-13). "MLS announces expansion in Seattle". MLS.net. Retrieved 2007-11-20.
  34. ^ {{cite web | url=http://www.soundersfc.com/Team/Roster.aspx | title=Roster | publisher=Seattle Sounders FC | accessdate=February 24, 2009
  35. ^ {{cite news |title=Sounders FC Blog |url=http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/sounders/ |work= Seattle Times |author= Romero, Jose ))
  36. ^ Stone, Larry (2007-11-10). "Big-time soccer coming in 2009". Seattle Times. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
  37. ^ "Sounders milestone: 20,000 season tickets sold with a month to go before kick off". examiner.com. 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  38. ^ http://themlszone.blogspot.com/2008/03/season-ticket-numbers-released.html
  39. ^ Mitchell, Shawn (2008-12-11). "Crew: Separation anxiety". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  40. ^ Washburn, Gary (2008-12-15). "Sounders to introduce Coach Sigi Schmid Tuesday". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  41. ^ Romero, José Miguel (2008-12-16). "Sigi Schmid becomes Sounders FC's first coach". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
  42. ^ "Schmid Names Schmetzer As First Assistant Coach". Seattle Sounders FC. 2008-12-22. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
  43. ^ "Tom Dutra Named Goalkeeper Coach". Seattle Sounders FC. 2008-12-29. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  44. ^ http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_soc_sounders_fc_hendrickson.html
  45. ^ Romero, José Miguel (2008-01-24). "Henderson named technical director for Seattle's MLS team". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2008-01-30.
  46. ^ "Longtime Seahawks VP moves to MLS team". Puget Sound Business Journal. 2008-03-24. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
  47. ^ Gaschk, Matthew (2008-05-16). "Sounders FC owner caters to fans". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  48. ^ "Sounders find voice: Kevin Calabro". Seattle TImes. 2008-07-22. Retrieved 2008-07-22.

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